Dems: House GOP interviewing 'confidential informant' over Uranium One

House Democrats sounded the alarm Tuesday about their Republican counterparts planning to interview a "confidential i...

Posted: Feb. 6, 2018 2:17 PM

Updated: Feb. 7, 2018 7:46 AM

House Democrats sounded the alarm Tuesday about their Republican counterparts planning to interview a "confidential informant" for the Uranium One probe.

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A letter from Reps. Elijah Cummings and Adam Schiff, the top Democrats on the House Oversight and Intelligence committees, respectively, to the GOP chairmen of those committees said Republicans have been in contact with the informant for months without allowing Democrats access.

The Democratic pair further said the Justice Department has already expressed to members of the committees that they had "serious credibility concerns" with the informant, and the two requested Democrats receive a transcript of the expected interview this week.

The letter said Republican staff had informed them there was no full transcription planned for the interview.

House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes and Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy began the investigation last October into an Obama-era Uranium Deal that some have sought to link to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Shortly after the announcement of the investigation, the Justice Department gave a former FBI informant approval to testify for those committee investigations.

In his response to the letter, Gowdy said the interview would take place Wednesday and was arranged by Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley's staff. Gowdy said in his letter to Cummings that "legitimate questions" surrounding Uranium One have materialized, that Democrats have had equal access documents and briefings and that the "committees have not ruled out the prospect of transcribed interviews in this investigation."

CNN has reached out to Nunes' office for response to the letter and has not yet received a response.

A letter from the Justice Department to the House Judiciary Committee last November said the department, in response to Republican lawmakers' calls for a special counsel, would evaluate whether a special counsel is merited into Clinton Foundation ties to the Uranium One deal and other matters.

On the campaign trail and since taking office, President Donald Trump has tried to link the Clinton Foundation to the sale of a Canadian uranium company to Russia, a sale that was approved by a slew of US government departments, including the State Department then-led by Clinton.